The hair accessory that could save your life

The hair accessory that could save your life

SEATTLE — Plenty of wearables (wearable technology) can help you better your life by tracking your vital signs and activity.

The First Sign Smart Hair Clip is designed to safeguard your life.

It knows when you’re pushed or thrown, when you’re running, it also knows where your phone is at all times – even when you’re nowhere near it. It automatically transmits all this information to a preset list of contacts or professional security monitor who will – in the case of an attack – not only track the activity in real-time but also contact the nearest authorities to send help to your location.

Bear in mind that this entire process happens in the 90 seconds after an attack.

As a girl who has carried pepper spray in the past (and who may or may not have accidentally set it off) I had a couple concerns:

False alarms: According to First Sign co-founders Rachel and Arthur Emanuele there is a 15 second grace period that allows users to disengage the system – phew.

Compared to traditional security measures? The First Sign device appears to pick up where measures like mace and pepper spray leave off. And while a hair clip might not strike fear into the mind of your attacker, the loud alarm that is triggered after an attack alerting them to the authorities being summoned might. Add the recording functions within the device and we’re talking about something that could aid in prosecution down the line.

Cramping my style? The clip has optional “fashion forward” covers but say you’re not jiving with the look or perhaps you have short hair – what then? Turns out you can attach it to just about anything, a coat, purse etc. Just switch the device to the manual alarm trigger setting.

It’s hard to see the downside of the First Sign hair clip – though given that it won’t come out until this fall widespread user experiences aren’t available yet. But at $50 (the device without monitoring subscription) or $75 (1 year monthly monitoring included) this could make for a great grad or birthday present.